Bluesky has no single hidden algorithm. The Following feed shows posts from people you follow, newest first; the Discover feed is Bluesky’s own recommendation feed, tuned by “Show more like this” and “Show less like this”; and custom feeds, built by anyone, rank posts by their own rules. To grow, post when followers are online, reply often, and get into the feeds your audience pins.
Key takeaways
- The Following feed is chronological: posts from people you follow, newest first.
- Discover is Bluesky’s own recommendation feed, and each person tunes it with “Show more like this” and “Show less like this”.
- Custom feeds are built by anyone on the AT Protocol and rank posts by their own rules.
- Timing matters most on Following; replies and topic feeds bring reach beyond your followers.
On this page
Does Bluesky have an algorithm?
Not one. Bluesky’s founding idea is “algorithmic choice”: instead of one company-wide ranking, people pick the feeds they want, and anyone can build a new one. So a post is seen in several places, each with its own rules: the Following feed of the people who follow you, Bluesky’s Discover feed, and any custom feed whose rules it matches.
Which feeds decide who sees a Bluesky post?
Three kinds, side by side as tabs at the top of the app:
| Feed | Who makes it | How it picks posts |
|---|---|---|
| Following | Bluesky | Posts and reposts from people you follow, newest first; you choose whether replies, reposts and quote posts show |
| Discover | Bluesky | Recommendations from beyond your follows, tuned by “Show more like this” and “Show less like this” |
| Custom feeds | Anyone (people, communities, developers) | Their own rules: a topic, a keyword, a community, or what is popular; you pin the ones you want |
How does the Following feed work?
It is chronological: no model decides which of your followers’ posts to show, so a post appears at the top for the people who follow you when it is published and then moves down. Each person can hide replies, reposts or quote posts in their Following-feed preferences. That makes posting time matter more than on most networks: a post that goes out while your followers are offline is mostly missed.
How does the Bluesky Discover feed work?
Discover is Bluesky’s own recommendation feed. It shows posts from accounts you do not follow, learning from what you engage with, and each person can steer it from a post’s menu with “Show more like this” or “Show less like this”. Bluesky does not publish its ranking rules; its January 2026 roadmap said a dedicated team is improving Discover and that it is exploring topic tags to help people find posts by interest.
What are Bluesky custom feeds?
Feeds anyone can build on the AT Protocol, the open network Bluesky runs on. A custom feed might collect posts on one topic, from one community, with a certain keyword or emoji, or the most-liked posts of the day; Bluesky’s trending topics run on custom feeds too. People pin the feeds they like as tabs. For a creator, the community feeds in your niche are the main way to reach people who do not follow you yet.
How do you get more reach on Bluesky?
Work with each feed’s rules rather than one formula:
- Post when your followers are online, because Following is chronological; start from the best time to post on Bluesky.
- Reply to people in your niche: replies put you in front of their followers and are the main way new accounts get noticed.
- Find the custom feeds your audience pins and post in their topic, with the keyword or tag they collect.
- Use images, alt text and short threads; a post holds 300 characters, so split longer ideas into a thread.
- Post steadily rather than in bursts, and space posts across the day so each gets its time at the top.
How do you find what works for your account?
Bluesky reports no views or reach to apps, so judge posts by what people do with them: likes, replies, reposts and quotes, and saves. SkedCast’s analytics collect those for every Bluesky post. Change one thing at a time (posting time, format or topic) for three or four weeks, compare with your usual numbers, and keep what wins. Schedule the winners with the Bluesky scheduler, which posts each at the time you set.
Sources
FAQ
- Is the Bluesky feed chronological?
- The Following feed is: posts from people you follow, newest first. Discover and custom feeds are ranked by their own rules.
- How does the Bluesky Discover feed pick posts?
- Bluesky does not publish its rules. It recommends posts from beyond your follows, learning from what you engage with, and you steer it with “Show more like this” and “Show less like this”.
- Can anyone make a Bluesky feed?
- Yes. Custom feeds run on the open AT Protocol, so people, communities and developers build them, and anyone can pin them.
- Does posting time matter on Bluesky?
- Yes, mostly for the Following feed: it is chronological, so a post published while your followers are online is the one they see.
- Does Bluesky show fewer people scheduled posts?
- No. A scheduled post is published through Bluesky’s own system like any other, and the feeds treat it the same.
- Why do my Bluesky posts get no engagement?
- Usually timing or reach: posting while followers are offline, or only to the Following feed. Reply in your niche and post into the custom feeds your audience follows.